Twilight of the Dead
by GjTz
Summary: The world is in a pandemic, and nothing is safe. Trust only those that can help you. PM for OC.
1. Chapter 1: Spring of the Dead

I woke up to something pushing on my leg. Panicking, I reached into my drawer and pulled out a small letter opener. I lunged with my free hand, and grabbed what felt like an arm.

"What the Hell, Kaito?"

The voice sounded familiar, but the sleep kept my eyes shut. As I wielded my letter opener, I finally managed to open my eyes.

I looked into the furious eyes of my childhood friend, Saya Takagi. She reached up with her hand, and slapped me.

"What the Hell is wrong with you? What were you going to do, huh? Stab me?" She screamed at me.

I look at her through sleepy eyes. "How did you even get in here?"

"You left the door unlocked again. Or was it your roommate this time?" She smacked me across the face again. "Oh, that's right. You don't have a roommate!"

I dragged myself to my feet, and stood looming over the angry girl. Realizing I still had the letter opener, I tossed it back in my drawer.

"Kaito, I thought you of all people would have a better self defense plan than a letter opener." Takagi said, sitting on the end of my bed. Her face was still red from anger.

"Well, it's not like I can sneak a gun in here or something, Takagi. I'd be expelled in a heartbeat." I said to her, picking up various clothes from around my room

"Well, your dad being in the Self Defense Force, I'm sure you could find something better than a letter opener." She said, reaching for the once wielded weapon.

"Well next time you try to sneak in, can you at least state that you're here?" I said in a sarcastic tone, slipping on my v neck.

"Kaito, I've known you for thirteen years." She said, still looking at the letter opener. "I'm sure you could handle me barging in on you in your boxers."

"Yea yea." I said, grabbing my shoes from next to the door.

Takagi walked over to where I was standing, looked me up and down, and then kissed me on the cheek.

"Don't think I'm going soft on you. You owe me after trying to kill me over there." She tapped me on the cheek twice, opened the door, and left.

"Sometimes I wonder about her," I thought out loud.

I checked my rucksack for my laptop. Being a computer technology major, I almost always had it with me. I laid the bag on the table, grabbing my shoes. I sat down in my chair, staring at the shoes. They were old high top converse from America that I bought from my trip to the Blackwater USA. Tying the worn laces, I remembered the month long trip. My friend Kohta Hirano had come with. Both of us being gun fanatics, I would have been surprised if Hirano hadn't come along.

The bell for sixth class rang. _Shit. Well, no point in showing up now. _My teacher, Mr. Kamara, had a heart as cold as an ice cube. He's had me removed from class almost every day since classes started a couple weeks ago. But since I had one of the highest GPAs in the school, he couldn't get rid of me.

I stood up, going to the closet to grab a jacket. Putting on the jacket, I remembered I had something in the pocket. I reached into the left pocket, and pulled out a small pendant, something I had planned on giving to an old friend, Rei Miyamoto. It was something I got from a Maori warrior on a trip to New Zealand. It was a Roimata Tear Drop, the Maori symbol for strength, power, pride and independence.

I turned the blue stone in my hand, still pondering if I could work up the nerve to finally give it to her. I slipped it back in my pocket, the feeling leaving along with the pendants presence. I closed the closet door, turning to the door to grab my hat. A simple grey baseball cap with "Blackwater USA" printed on the back. Grabbing my rucksack, I slid the hat into one of the pockets. I left the room, locking the door behind me.

I decided to skip classes, knowing I was late already and not wanting to put up with flak I'd get from Mr. Kamara. I had to walk through the classroom buildings anyway, there being no doors outside in the dorms. I was at the base of the stairs, looking around.

"Kaito!" a familiar voice said. I turned around to see my best friend, Kenta Matsumoto.

"Kenta! I haven't seen you since classes started, how's it been going?" I asked, happy to see the giant I called my friend.

"Well, for starters things haven't been going smoothly with that teacher, Mr. Kamara." He said, scratching the back of his head. "He just caught me talking to Takagi in the halls."

"No way, really? What about Takagi?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

"He let her go like always," Kenta said, checking his watch. "I wonder about her sometimes. But hey, I have to be at the detention room before 12:45, so I'll catch you later." He lumbered past me, ducking to get through the doors to the offices.

"Yea, meet me at my dorm after classes, maybe we can catch up?" I suggested to him, but I got no answer. He just waved, and kept walking. I laughed, thinking of how Takagi got out of this one, but I pushed it out of my mind. I went through the opposite doors, into the courtyard.

I took a deep breath, taking in the smell of the cherry blossoms that were blooming. I pulled the cap out of my rucksack, and slid it on. It was a bit loose, but it was a hot day, and I didn't mind. I heard a scream from the right, near the front gate. My head snapped up, looking for the sound. I couldn't see the gate from where I was, so I ran. It was a decent run down the path, and I almost tripped when I saw what was happening at the gate.

I looked up to see one of the gyms teachers reach up, grab Mrs. Kiyomizo, and take a bite out of her neck. Her scream was beyond ear splitting, making me flinch. I saw movement in the buildings above, and saw Takashi Komuro, a rival more than a friend. He looked down at me, and then ran inside, leaving me to look after the situation in front of me. The other two gym teachers who were there had left. I didn't know what to do, I stood dumb struck.

The gym teacher stood up, bloody at the mouth. _That's Mr. Tojima, what the Hell is he doing, _I asked myself. I looked over at the gate, seeing a man, on his knees, bloody at the mouth.

"What the fuck happened here," I said in a loud voice. As if on command, Mr. Tojima screamed, not a scream like Mrs. Kiyomizos, but more of a roar. It sounded angry, almost enraged. He started running towards me, his right arm outstretched like he was trying to grab me.

"What's your problem?" I asked, stepping back slowly. _What am I going to do, kick his head off? _

He kept running, blood flying out of his mouth. As he got closer, the details became more and more grotesque. His eyes were glazed over, pupils white. His skin had turned a sickly grey color, his face flush.

"I'm warning you, Mr. Tojima," I said weakly, not knowing what to do. He lunged at me, almost grabbing my jacket. I grabbed his wrist with my left hand, and shot my right hand into his ribcage, vaulting him over me. He hit the ground hard, and I heard a crack when his feet bounced off the ground. I looked at his legs, and his left foot was backwards, obviously broken.

I let go of him, but right as I let go, he screamed, the rage still strong. He grabbed my right pant leg, to which I raised my left foot, and brought it down over the bloody limb. The break was clean, and I ground the arm into the concrete. The teacher roared at me again, this time jumping to his feet. I noticed he was walking on his broken foot as if it was nothing. I tripped over my own feet, scaring the crap out of myself. I landed flat on my back, and in no time, Mr. Tojima had pinned me to the ground.

I grabbed his head with my right hand, trying to keep him from biting me. He was stong, almost impossibly strong for a man his size. I looked for a way to disable him, and found one. I thrust my knee up, striking him right in his manhood. When he acted as if nothing had happened, I really started freaking out.

_Holy fuck! If he can't feel that, he's either Duke Nukem or he doesn't even have a pair! _I thought, trying to scramble out from underneath the heavy man. He screamed at me again, blood plastering my face. I kept replaying movements from my Krav Maga training, and I finally thought of one. I jammed my thumb into Mr. Tojimas eye, blood pouring like a fountain down my sleeve.

His head reared back, almost the complete opposite of what I expected. I clenched my fist, and trust it right into his throat. He instantly backed off, and I scrambled to my feet, almost tripping over my rucksack. He was on his knees, scratching at the swelling throat. He started tearing the skin off, blood gushing everywhere. My stomach churned, and I turned away from it. What I saw nearly made me wet myself.

Mrs. Kiyomizo, the woman I saw fall dead less than five minutes ago, was getting to her feet. She too was covered in blood, the bite still bleeding freely. I heard heavy panting, and turned to see that Mr. Tojima had torn his entire throat off, down to the windpipes. Blood was gushing out of his body, pooling quickly. His head started to roll foreward, and I raised my foot, and kicked the obviously not living teacher on his back.

I walked over and stood next to his chest. He was still breathing. _How the fuck is this guy still alive? _I raised my foot, and brought it down right above his nose. He flinched and screamed, blood hitting my face. I raised my foot once again, this time breaking the nose, jamming it into the brain. The body shuttered, and then lay limp.

I looked back and saw Mrs. Kiyomizo, or whatever it was, turning slowly towards me. I didn't stick around to see if she was as strong as Mr. Tojima. I noticed my hat was gone finding it in the blood puddle that was a teacher. I started running towards the school, shaking the blood off my hat as best I could. Slipping the hat back on, it was slightly damp, but it didn't bother me much.

I got to the courtyard, and stopped. Slowly turning to see an open gate, more of the grey skinned people were released into the grounds. There weren't very many, little more than a dozen. But they moved fast, attacking other students. I turned and ran for the lobby. _Well, everything starts somewhere, right? _

When I opened the doors, I was welcomed by a scream. I looked up and saw the attendant cowering behind her desk. I was about to ask her what was happening at the gate, when the intercom screeched to life.

"This announcement is for all the students. An emergency situation is taking place inside the school right now. All students must follow your teacher's instructions and evacuate. I repeat . .."

I was frozen in place, my breathing shuttered and raspy. _So . . . So there really is something happening . . ._

I ran for the classrooms, not knowing what I planned on doing. I bounded up the stairs, almost tripping myself. I ran down the hallway, looking into the empty classrooms. I ran around one of the corners, not thinking anything of it. But when I looked up, I saw someone swinging something, and then black.

_Knocked unconscious, real nice Kaito. _


	2. Chapter 2: Escape from the Dead

I woke up to a stinging on my forehead. I reached up, and had my hand knocked back down. I rolled over, and started falling. I grabbed out, and found what felt like someone's shirt. I kept falling anyways, hitting my nose on the floor. I felt a crack, and knew my nose broke. I rolled on my side, letting go of what I had grabbed onto, grabbing my nose with my hands.

I tried to open my eyes, but the light kept me from opening them all the way. I squinted up into the eyes of a girl, but I couldn't tell who it was. She laughed, and held her hand out to me.

"Well it's nice to see you too, Kaito." The girl said. I instantly recognized the voice as Saeko Busujima, the captain of the kendo club.

"Oh my god," I said, my words muffled by my hands. "Where am I?"

"You're in the nurse's office," another voice chimed in. I couldn't distinguish it.

"Wait, why am I in the nurse's office?" I asked, taking Saeko's hand.

"Well the thing is," Saeko mumbled, sounding somewhat nervous. "I somehow ended up hitting you over the head with my bokken." I looked over at her, and she had a weak smile.

"How do you accidentally hit someone with a piece of wood?" I screamed, still holding my nose.

"Don't get so angry, Kaito. I could have killed you." She said, her voice sounding sarcastic.

"Well that helps, Saeko. That helps a whole lot." I leaned against the wall, still clenching my nose.

"Let me take a look at it, Endo." I looked up to see the nurse, Shizuka Marikawa, stepping towards me with a bottle of alcohol. "I still need to fix that cut on your head."

"On my head," I said calmly, looking over to Saeko. She just smiled.

"Come on Endo, sit down at least," Miss Marikawa pointed to one of the chairs. I listened and sat down, still staring and Saeko.

"Well you broke your nose," the nurse obviously stated. "You might have to go to a hospital to get it fi-"

I reached up with my hands, feeling the break. It bent to the left about a fourth of the way down my nose. I grabbed the lower half of my nose, and quickly slid it back into place. The pain went straight to my brain, and I hunched over, moaning.

I heard a crash from behind me, and I turned around, still holding my nose. I saw a bloody student hanging through the door window.

_Oh shit, I completely forgot these guys._

I stood up, looking at Saeko. She had pulled her bokken out, holding at her side. I turned around, putting myself between the Undead and Miss Marikawa.

"Miss Marikawa, stay behind me." I said, looking for something I could use as a weapon.

"Please," She said. "Call me Shizuka."

"Alright then, Shizuka, just stay behind me and we can get out." I said, picking up a small scalpel. It reminded me of the letter opener I used that morning, and I laughed to myself.

There were more of the Undead piling on the door, and the locks gave way. They were running, and I couldn't count heads. I jumped forward, thrusting the scalpel into one of the blank eyes. It shuttered and fell, and I couldn't pull the scalpel out. I fell down with the corpse, still tugging on the tiny weapon. I looked up into the eyes of another Undead, it reaching down to grab me. I thrust my fist into its sternum, putting all my weight into the punch.

When I hit its chest, I felt bone breaking and my fist going through skin. My fist went through its chest, only the Undead's shirt separating me from its insides. I screamed and fell backwards, pulling my hand out of its chest. My hand was completely red, and I was breathing heavy. I felt myself going into shock, but I knew I couldn't. Not now.

I stood up, looking the now gaping chest Undead in the face. It was blank, as if punching a hole in its chest didn't do anything. I saw a black streak cross my vision, and the Undead fell. I watched it fall, and looked back up to see Saeko finishing off the last of the undead horde.

I looked back at Shizuka, who was gathering things in a small bag. Something grabbed my shoulder, and I spun around. Saeko looked at me and laughed.

"You're a little jumpy, aren't you" She teased.

"Yea, yea I am." I answered, reaching down to wipe the blood from my hand on the Undead's shirt.

"So about that cut on your head," Saeko said, reaching up and pulling my hair out of the way. "I'm really sorry." Her eyes seemed innocent, and I couldn't think of any other way to answer.

"It's alright, I guess." I said, blushing slightly. "Accidents happen right?" I looked around, trying to find something other than Saeko to look at. I saw my hat, and jumped for it. When I picked it up, the blood had been washed off.

"I figured I could do that much for you, Kaito." Saeko said, walking over to Shizuka.

"Thanks, I guess," I answered. There was a slice in the brim where I guessed Saeko's bokken hit me.

I put the hat back on, and smiled. Saeko and Shizuka had already started leaving, so I ran to catch back up with them. Saeko had already dispatched a couple Undead, but she didn't kill them.

"Why aren't you killing them?" I asked.

"They're strong," Saeko answered. "Individually they aren't a problem. But in a group, it's almost impossible."

"But, that doesn't answer why you don't just kill them," I said sarcastically, looking back at the flailing creatures. "So do you know anything about them?"

"Just that they're dead," Shizuka answered.

"They react to sound," Saeko said. "And the only way to really kill them is by destroying the brain."

"They can see us though," I said. "I don't know how long for, though."

I looked outside, and it was a lot later in the day than I thought.

"By the way, how long was I out for?" I asked, looking at Saeko.

"Oh," she replied, as if it was nothing. "I'd say three or four hours."

I stared at her, shocked that I was out for that long. I was about to say something else, when a crack let out.

"What was that?" Shizuka asked.

"It came from the faculty room," Saeko and I chimed.

"Kaito, you go ahead and check it out," Saeko said. "I'll catch up in a minute."

"Alright," I said, running to the stairs. I jumped up the stairs, tripping on the last step. I caught myself on the railing, but the pipe broke and I fell anyway. I hit my head against the floor, and the cut blistered with pain.

I stood back up, rubbing my forehead. Looking at the pipe I had just broken off the wall, I rolled it in my hand a bit. It was about two feet long, and had a corner piece on it. I let the corner hang down, kind of like a mace. I kept running up the stairs, and saw Takagi standing behind someone.

"Takagi," I yelled, and she turned around. She looked at me, and then something around the corner that I couldn't see.

She started screaming, and I ran up the steps. I looked to the right, and saw a couple Undead, slowly walking towards Takagi's scream. I raised the pipe up, and buried it in one of the Undead's skulls, spraying blood all over the wall.

I turned back and saw Kohta kneeling, shooting what looked like a gun. _It's too quiet. _I looked back to Takagi, who had started throwing trophies at the Undead that was chasing her. I turned back to see another infected right beside me.

It tackled me to the ground, almost biting me. I wedged the pipe in its mouth, pushing it off of me. I rolled to my feet, raising the pipe above my head. The creature screamed at me, and I brought it down over its head, splitting its skull. I heard footsteps from behind me, and I swung the pipe around. I looked at the face, and it was the face of Takashi Komuro. I stopped the pipe right next to his face, and he flinched.

A metal clanking came from behind me, and I turned to see Takagi jamming a drill into the Undead's eye. I looked over at Hirano, who was having trouble with his . . . Whatever it was. I ran in front of him, clubbing an infected, goring it across the wall. I wasn't paying attention to anything else, and I just went on my own little rampage.

I dropped Undead after Undead, coating myself in blood. My breathing got heavy, and I started to sweat. I felt my reactions slow, taking longer to swing the pipe. _Not now, please not now. _I begged myself, still swinging the pipe. I knocked down another infected, and raised my hand again. There was nothing.

I turned around, panting. I tried to calm my breath, breathing deeply. Takagi was on her knees, whimpering next to the body of the Undead that attacked her. Shizuka and Rei ran over to her, trying to console her.

I looked over to Takashi, who was holding a baseball bat. I walked over to him, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Well," I said. "It's nice to see you alive."

"Did you find anything about these things?" Takashi asked, poking one of the Undead in the head with his bat.

"They react to sound," I said, kneeling down. "They can't see very well, either." I rolled the creature over, looking at its face. There was a bite on the wrist that had turned black.

"When you get bitten," I said, looking back up at Takashi. "It's game over."

I stood back up, wiping my hands on my pants. I walked over to Saeko, who was looking out the window. I put my hand on her shoulder, and she looked at it. She reached up and grabbed my hand, but not in a threatening way. Her eyes seemed weak, almost scared.

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking back out the window.

"If this is how it is in the school . . ." She paused, letting go of my hand. "Imagine what it's like outside, in the city."

I nodded at her, understanding. We all had family in the city, on the other side of the river. Saeko introduced herself to the others, and everyone else did the same. I kept quiet, already knowing everyone in the room. I was staring at my reflection in the window, and I almost didn't believe it was me.

My face was red, splattered with blood. I reached up, touching my nose. The bone was straight, but at least the pain was faint. I breathed in through my nose, hoping it didn't swell. It was fine, so I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go," I heard Takashi say, opening the door to the faculty room. The others stood up, and went through to door, but I stayed, still looking out the window. It was a small sliver, but I could see part of the city. It was worse than it was in the school, smoke rising everywhere.

"Come one, Kaito." I turned around to see Rei sticking her head out of the door. She waved me towards her, and I listened. "We can't have you running off on your own, now can we?" She said, grabbing my jacket. She threw me into the room, laughing.

"Kaito, Hirano," Takashi said, pointing towards the door. "Let's barricade a bit."

We piled all kinds of things. A desk, chairs, even copy paper.

"This should work," Takashi said panting.

"Let's take a little break," Saeko answered.

I looked back out the window, the sky turning a dark orange. I walked over and peeked through the blinds, out at the parking lot. There were a couple of undead students, but nothing worth worrying about.

"You wear glasses?" I heard Hirano shout.

"Shut up," Takagi yelled back. "My contact lenses keep on moving around!"

I laughed to myself, remembering the first time I found out Takagi wears glasses.

Rei walked over and put a water bottle on the desk in front of me, smiling. I smiled back, and picked it up. Unscrewing the cap, I drank the cold nectar. Saeko and Shizuka started talking about how we were going to get out of the school. I saw Hirano tinkering with his weapon, and I walked over to him.

"So," I said, cheekily. "What exactly is this?"

"It's a nail gun!" He said, holding it up, giddy. "Its gas powered, and I added this sight and stock to stabilize it."

We talked for a while about how it worked and just guns in general. We were having a decent time, laughing occasionally.

"So . . . How long have you known Takagi?" Hirano asked, turning red.

"Long enough," I answered. "She broke into my room this morning."

A voice got louder behind us, and I turned around to see everyone staring at the television. I walked around the desk to see the screen better. Hirano followed, leaving his nail gun. The newscaster was talking about the death toll being over five thousand, and the number only rising. The police had started shooting, obviously unaware they were attracting attention to themselves.

The screen went to snow, leaving me staring at the static.

"So it's happening everywhere," I said, throwing my hat on the table. "That's just great."

"Maybe it isn't as bad as it looks, Kaito." Rei said, turning off the television.

"Not as bad as it looks," I said, almost laughing. "Our families are out there, Rei! My mother!"

I fell to my knees, tears forming in my eyes. My father left to chase a dream when I was a baby, and my mother raised me alone. I felt tears beading in the corners of my eyes, and I reached up to keep them from streaming down my face. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned my head, looking into the eyes of Rei.

"It's going to be okay," She said, kneeling next to me. She wrapped her arms around me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"No it isn't," I said, leaning my head against hers. "No it isn't."

She kissed me on the cheek, and let go of her grip on me. She stood up, walking away. I hoisted myself up, using the desks to help me up. I kept turned away from everyone else.

"Well I think we should get going," I heard Takashi say, trying to take the attention off of me. "Let's get to the microbus."

Hirano patted me on the shoulder and walked past me to the door. I followed him, helping to take apart the barricade. Hirano started talking about guns again, and I laughed. _He's got his heart set. _He started talking about pistols, which really got my attention. I had been a pistol fanatic ever since I went to Blackwater USA, falling in love with trick shooting.

"Kaito, you remember going to Blackwater, right?" Hirano asked, dropping a chair.

"How could I forget?" I joked. "It was cooler than anything I've done in this school." I tossed copy paper on the floor, the papers flying across the floor. "Hirano, grab the other end of the desk."

We picked up the enormous wooden desk, almost dropping several times. We put it down in front of the washroom, both of us panting. I looked into the room, staring into a mirror. There was still blood on my face, having dried, leaving black streaks down my face.

I hopped over the table into the room.

"What are you doing?" Hirano asked, looking into the room after me.

"Washing my face," I answered. "I don't want someone confusing me for one of Them."

I turned the faucet on, feeling how cold the water was. There was blood plastered on my hands too, the water removing the crimson glove. I started scrubbing, smiling to be able to see my own skin again. I reached over and grabbed a towel, running it under the water. Patting my face, the blood came off with ease. The towel quickly turned pink, then to a light red. I turned off the faucet, tossing the towel into the sink.

I looked back into the mirror, checking the cut that Saeko had given me earlier. It had started healing, leaving almost no trace behind. _Most excellent! _I hopped back over the table into the room. The others had already left, leaving me alone in the room. There were grunts and screaming from the hallway. Grabbing my hat and pipe from the table, I scrambled through the door.

Another group of students had found their way to the faculty room, but they brought Undead with them. Takashi, Saeko and Rei had already taken out the small horde, the new group cowering on the stairs. Walking over to them, I could smell the blood.

"Anyone been bitten?" I asked, looking each of the students in the eye. None of them said anything, only staring back at me blankly. One of the students caught my attention. He was shivering, coughing every so often. I pointed at him. "You, come here."

He pushed through the other students, the others whispering to him. He stood in front of me, clenching his right side. His white shirt had red streaks, bloody handprints, and was torn all to Hell.

"What's wrong with your side?" I asked, stepping closer.

"I was bitten. By one of the teachers," He answered, his voice sounding weak.

"Do you mind if I look?" I asked, pointing to his side. He pulled his shirt above the wound, and saw a perfect bite mark, black and oozing blood. There were gasps from behind him, but he ignored them.

"You know what happens, yes?" I asked again, as the boy pulled his shirt down. "The infection runs through your veins, and you turn into one of Them." I said, pointing at one of the carcasses on the floor.

"That's . . . That's impossible." The boy stammered, looking around helplessly. "That only happens in video games and movies."

"It's true," Takashi said, walking over and putting his hand on the student. "It happened to a friend of mine . . . A good friend."

"What happened?" The boy asked, blood dripping from his mouth.

Takashi's face was heavy, as if a burden he carried was weakening him. "I killed him." He walked away, not saying anything else.

I looked back at the boy, and his eyes had gotten really wide. He turned back to his group, nobody looking at him.

"You're fucking crazy!" He yelled, pointing at me. He coughed and blood splattered across the floor. His head snapped back, making a sick cracking noise. He fell to the floor, blood foaming at his mouth.

"He's dead," It came from the small group, but I couldn't tell who.

"Saeko," I said calmly, looking around for her.

"Yes, Kaito?" She asked, walking up from behind me.

"I need your bokken," I said, holding my hand out.

"What for?" She snapped, quickly becoming defensive of the wooden sword.

I pointed to the boy, who had started showing signs of the infection. "Either you kill him, or I will."

Saeko reluctantly handed me her bokken, giving a slight fight when I tried to raise it. "If you break it, it's not going to be the only wood that gets broken."

I started to blush, raising the wooden sword above my head. The boy had gotten to his feet, his eyes glazed over white. I stepped forward, bringing the bokken down over the boys head. His skull compressed into his brain, making his head a decent amount smaller. Blood had covered the wooden sword, and I swung it quickly to the side, the blood sliding off the blade onto the ground.

I handed the bokken back to Saeko, who seemed impressed. "Have you been in Kendo before, Kaito?" Saeko asked, looking her bokken up and down.

"They teach you how to use a ninjato in Pentjak Silat. Your bokken is about the same size," I answered, only being met with a mean look from Saeko and Takagi.

"Come on you two," Takagi snapped, looking directly at me. "Either we stay in this Hell hole of a school, or we leave."

"Are you coming with us?" Takashi asked the small group of students, who had started moving back towards the stairs.

No was an obvious answer when they scrambled down the stairs screaming. _Well I guess we can count on not seeing them again. _I walked down the stairs to see what was beneath our feet. "Holy shit . . ." I muttered to myself.

The others came walking up behind me, pushing me to the landing. I shushed them, pointing to the mass of Undead students. The group that ran before us had been attacked, their bodies being eaten by several of the Undead.

"Wait," Takashi said. "If they react to sound, we should be able to walk right past them, right?"

"Well I guess you can be the genius child to test that," Takagi said, sneering at Takashi.

"Oh man . . . Fine," He said, his voice sounding strained. I patted him on the shoulder, smiling at him.

"We can go together," I said, my voice squeaking on 'together.' I was scared, but I knew we had each other's back.

As we got to the bottom step, I slipped on a puddle of blood. Takashi saw this, and he caught me. We stood awkwardly still, Takashi almost crushing my arm. None of the Undead noticed us, and we retracted from our dance. Sweat was beading on my brow, but I walked on. Takashi stopped to look around, picking up a shoe and throwing it down the hall. The Undead chased it like a dog to a bone.

We waved the others to us, pointing out the blood puddle at the end of the stairs. When Hirano passed me, I stopped him. "Is this thing ready to shoot?" I asked, whispering.

"You bet it is!" He answered, trying to keep his voice down.

"Good," I said. "We might need it outside."

I turned around and the others were standing outside, waving us on. We stepped lightly to doors, joining the others under the sinking sun. I took in a breath, but the atmosphere was different. The air was thick and smoky. The smell of blood had replaced the cherry blossom I had smelled earlier that afternoon. Looking down the steps toward the parking lot, there was almost a sea of the undead monsters.

They weren't attacking, but just wandering around aimlessly. I pointed at the microbus, a good thousand yards away. I made pointed to Hirano, telling him though tactical signs to move in the front with me. I turned to Takashi, telling him to watch our rear.

The hand signs went right over everybody's heads, except Hirano. He quietly started making his way down the steps while I explained to the others. I was about to start catching up with Hirano, but a loud metal noise and breaking glass erupted from behind us. Some other students had followed us outside, but they let the door close by itself, the door slamming back into place, the glass pane shattering.

I spun back around to the sea of Undead. All eyes were on us. Hirano had noticed and started clambering up the stairs back to us.

"Run!" Takashi screamed. Nobody argued.

I started running down the step, kicking undead after undead down the steps in front of me. There was a group of Undead gathering at the bottom of the steps. I reached the last step, and vaulted myself into the air. The infected were dropping beneath me, nails protruding from their heads. I tucked my feet underneath me, and then shot them into the crowd.

I sent a good five or six Undead toppling over each other. I didn't land on my feet though. I tried to launch myself off the Undead when I kicked it, but it didn't resist the blow as much as I expected. I fell on my back, knocking the air out of myself. I rolled over, picking up my pipe while the others ran past me. The other group of students didn't make it, being attacked at the top of the steps.

I turned around and kept running to the microbus. The door was open when I got there, everyone already inside. I was about to get on as well, when I was tackled from the right, landing on my back again. I looked down into the blank, bloody eyes of my teacher, Mr. Kamara. He screamed, blood dripping off his chin. He opened his mouth, and brought it down on my left arm.

I could feel his clamping down harder and harder. Raising my arm, I slammed my right elbow into his temple. He flinched, but kept his grip. I raised the pipe into the air, and slammed the point of it into his skull. The skull collapsed, destroying the brain within. The reanimated teacher lurched, releasing its death bite. I twisted the pipe inside its head, causing the body to collapse on top of me.

I pushed the corpse off of me, crawling backwards toward the front of the bus. My heart was pounding, and I was barely getting air to my lungs. I stood up, grabbing the tire of the microbus to help me. I hadn't noticed, but another group of students had found their way to the bus. I walked forwards, pulling myself into the bus. The door shut behind me, and Shizuka put the pedal to the metal, sending me flying down the aisle.

I landed with my face in cleavage, pulling my face away quickly. A hand reached up and slapped me, and I recognized the angry voice as Saya Takagi.

"What the Hell, Kaito?" Takagi said, covering her chest.

"I would say I'm sorry," I said, taking a seat next to Rei. "But that was pretty funny!" She raised her hand to me, and I hid behind the chair. I turned forward to see the front gate approaching, bodies flying over the microbus. The gate had been reclosed, chains around the lock. _Who the Hell locks the gates to a school_

Shizuka drove the bus right through the gate, launching the bus in the air. When the bus remade contact with the road, my face slammed into the chair in front of me. I started moaning, my nose screaming in pain. I leaned my head back, breathing through my nose.

"What's wrong with you, Kaito?" Rei said, looking at me confused.

"I broke it falling out of a bed," I said, looking at her and laughing.

"Wait, what? Where were you?"

"Long story short, Saeko hit me in the head with her bokken. I'm guessing she dragged me to the nurse's office, where Shizuka took care of me." I started laughing at how stupid the story sounded.

I looked back at Rei, and she had turned around. I looked at who she was staring at, and started laughing even harder. She was glaring at Saeko, who had sat next to Takashi. Rei smacked me on the arm, trying to get me to stop.

"What's wrong Rei?" I said teasingly. "You a little jealous?"

"Shut up Kaito, I'm not jealous." Rei said mockingly, turning back around.

"What's the deal between you and Saeko, anyway?"

"I don't have a problem with her. I just don't like how she's all over Takashi like that, especially at a time like this."

Someone grabbed my hair, and I could tell it was Takagi. She forced me to turn around, almost pulling the hair out of my head. When I looked at her, her face was red.

"Oh, hey Takagi," I said weakly. She slapped me, not hard, but enough to sting.

"So you think it's funny to stick your face in my boobs?" Takagi said, louder than she needed to.

"Sorry Takagi," I said, trying to calm her down. "I fell when Shizuka floored it."

"You think I believe you?" She whispered, a few inches from my face. "I've caught you staring before, Kaito."

I sat silently, not knowing if I should admit that I've stared at her chest, or deny it. She let me go, mumbling something about me being a pervert.

I turned back to Rei, who was staring out the window. I looked out past her, and saw the sun about to set on the Hell raised city. I looked away, my mind going back to my mother.

"Kaito," Rei said, taking my hand.

"What is it Rei?"

"You think our parents are okay? Do you think this is happening on the other side of the river?"

"To be honest Rei, I never thought I'd be running around killing already dead people."

"I'm serious, Kaito. What about the military, or the Self Defense Force? Why aren't they helping?"

"The Self Defense Force is the last thing you should be expecting. I've never met my father because of it. They're a private military, used by the government for riots and prison uprisings."

"You know a lot about the Self Defense Force, don't you?"

"My father is the founder."

"Are you kidding me? Why didn't he send an entire army to save you?"

"Rei, please. Can we find something else to talk about?" I turned away, Rei still holding my hand.

"No! You've never told me about your childhood, so start talking!" She turned in her seat, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"Rei . . . Oh, fine. Where do you want me to start?"


	3. Chapter 3: Democracy Under the Dead

Rei was so intent on hearing about my childhood, it was almost scary. She fell asleep on my shoulder a while after I started talking. _Am I really that boring? _She was still holding my hand, even when she slept. I turned around to Takashi, who was still talking with Saeko. I looked back out the window, the sun near the horizon. The clock on the bus said it was only 5:16.

"Hey, Miss Shizuka," I leaned forward so she could hear me, only a seat in front of me. "Where exactly are we headed?"

"Well I thought we were going to the city?" She said, sounding confused. "Or are we going to the other side of the river?"

"Well, let me ask around." I said, looking down at Rei. She had woken up since I shifted, rubbing her eyes.

"How far did we get?" She asked between yawns. "Are we to the city yet?"

"Almost," I answered, standing up. "I'll be right back."

I walked down the aisle to the back of the bus, where the other group was.

"Any of you have anywhere you need to be taken?" I asked, looking around. Nobody answered.

"No, Mr. Endo, we should stick together. No need to separate!" I turned around, and saw a slender man standing up from his chair.

"And . . . Who exactly are you?" I asked, looking the man up and down. Something about him was different, and I didn't like him.

"My word, Endo. How could you not know the arguably best teacher in the school?" The man said, obviously thinking too highly of himself.

"Well sorry to burst your bubble," I said, turning back around to the other students. "But you're just as low as the rest of us now that we aren't in your precious school."

"Please, Endo, I find it hard to believe that you think you could survive even a moment without a proper leader." I pushed past him, knocking him back into his seat. "You little bastard! You better watch where you –"

I spun around, grabbing his arm. I twisted the arm around, slamming his face into the chair.

"Now you listen to me," I whispered into his ear. "I've got anger issues, and if you really like using this arm," I twisted the arm back farther, the man letting a scream out. "I'd suggest you sit down, and shut the fuck up like the rest of us."

I pushed him down, walking back to the front of the bus. Sitting back down in my seat, Rei had a look of approval on her face.

"You may be a bit quick to jump to violence, Kaito," Rei said, looking back at the man. "But you know how to scare people. Look at the others."

"Who is he, anyway?" I asked, turning around to look at him. His face was red, and he was rubbing his shoulder.

"His name is Mr. Shido, he's a heartless worm." Rei said, still peering back at him over her chair.

"You two realize how loud you talk, right?" I peeked farther over the chair, looking at Takagi. "At least lumpy over here found a way to get to sleep with all your blabbering."

"Thanks, Takagi," I said, sneering at her. "I like the sound of your voice too."

"Kaito, you worry me sometimes." Takagi said, leaning on the back of my chair. "Did someone drop you on your head as a kid?"

"Hey now," Rei said, laughing slightly. "Keep the insults to a minimum."

"No Rei, it's alright." I said, laughing a bit myself. "It's not like I can say something back, I like living."

"I'm sure you do," Takagi said, sticking her tongue out at me. She leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. "Just keep your talking a bit quieter."

"Yes ma'am," I teased, turning back around in my seat. I looked over at Rei, who was still staring at Mr. Shido.

I tried to ignore him, his talk about needing a leader almost making me laugh.

"The city!" A voice cried out, and I looked out the window. Sure enough, the city was engulfed in flames, smoke rising everywhere. I stood up and went to the front of the bus, ducking to see through the windshield. We were making good time, going about 95 kilometers an hour.

The interstate wrapped around to the coast, the sun reflecting off the water. The road ahead seemed straight as a needle, buildings lining the left side of the road. I looked farther down the road, and sure enough there was infected in the city too. There was only one, but I knew there were more.

"Hey," I said, nudging Shizuka. "Run that one over."

"Why?" She asked, sounding confused.

"Well . . . You know," I stammered. "To keep it from . . . Biting other people?"

"You just want to see it fly over the windshield." She teased.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked, teasing back.

She steered the bus so the Undead was in front of the bus. She hit is dead center, and the body went tumbling over the top of the bus. I giggled a bit, going back to my seat.

"Thanks, Shizuka," I said, smiling.

"Anytime, Kaito," She laughed.

It was quiet for a while, only the sound of the tires on the road keeping me awake. I heard someone swear, and I turned around to see what was happening.

"The further we go, the more dangerous it is!" A heavy set student said, standing in the aisle. "And why do we have to go with Komuro and the others? You are the ones who wanted to back to the city. Maybe we should have . . . Looked for a safe place inside the school? We were better off where we were."

Another student chimed in. "He's right, I kinda agree with Sonota. We should barricade ourselves-"

The bus lurched forward, sending me toppling into the aisle. I looked up at Shizuka, who had unbuckled her seatbelt. She leaned over me, leaning on my shoulder.

"Alright everyone, that's enough. I can't focus on the driving with all this yelling!" Shizuka shouted, the other students staring at her.

"Yea . . . Whatever." Sonota said, obviously staring at Shizuka's chest.

"Well, why don't you tell us all what you want to do?" Saeko said, directed at Sonota.

He stammered, trying to find a reason. He pointed to Takashi. "I just can't stand this guy! I hate him!"

I stood up, grazing my head on Shizuka's boobs. I looked up, my face turning red. She smiled, as if nothing had just happened. I didn't hear what Takashi said, but when I turned around, Rei was standing up, and Sonota lying on the floor.

"Asshole," Rei said, holding her spear to her side.

Mr. Shido started clapping, heading towards Rei and Takashi.

"Bravo, simply outstanding teamwork, I'm impressed. I commend both of you. At any rate, a conflict like that only proves my point." Shido said, acting casual and calm.

"We need a leader. We do! I'm sure neither of you want such a difficult responsibility, on your shoulders." I started walking towards the back of the bus, and Mr. Shido noticed. He tried not to look at me, focusing only on Rei.

"So," Takagi interrupted. "You're going to apply for the position then?"

"I'm a teacher, Mrs. Takagi," He sneered. "And while mature, all of you are barely in your teens. That alone makes it very clear who's more qualified to assume such a role. I have experience! Why just moments ago I saved all of these brave students!" He turned to the back of the bus, to the other students. "What do you say, guys?"

They started clapping, almost brainwashed. Shido turned back around, and I almost couldn't stand the smirk on his face. I turned to the door, pushing it open.

"Oh Endo! Don't be running off now, it'd be a shame if we lost you." Shido said, pushing past Rei and Takashi. He grabbed my shoulder lightly, trying to pull me back on the bus. Rei pushed past him, jumping off the bus. I knocked his hands off me, and left as well.

"What are you two doing?" Takashi yelled out the open door.

"Obviously leaving," I said, walking down the sidewalk.

"I can't do it, not with that monster running the show!" Rei yelled, pointing at Mr. Shido.

"Please, get back on the bus." Takashi whimpered.

There was a honk, almost like an air horn. I looked over, and saw two huge headlights flying down the road. A bus was flying towards us, going well over 120. I couldn't help but stare, not knowing what was going to happen. The bus hit a car, flipping end over end. It blocked the sun from my view, and there was only one way for me to go.

I turned around and ran for the tunnel, looking over my shoulder to see if Rei was okay. I couldn't see her. I turned back around, and saw she had jumped out of the way, lying on the ground inside the tunnel. The bus landed, sliding across the street. It slammed into the side of the tunnel, instantly lighting on fire, and trapping us inside.

I ran over to Rei, rolling her over. She coughed, but she sat up, saying she was okay. I looked at the corner of the tunnel, and I saw Takashi staring through a small opening.

"Rei! Kaito! Can either of you hear me?" He yelled, flames licking at the bus. I ran over to the crack, looking through at Takashi.

"We can't stay her," I yelled through the fire. "The bus is going to explode, where should we meet you?"

"The east police station, at 7 o'clock," I heard him yell. "If not today, then tomorrow!" I was about to answer when a huge burst of flame engulfed me. It dissipated quickly, leaving me only with singes.

I ran back to Rei, and helped her up. "We need to go, now." I said, pushing her in front of me. I turned back around and saw a liquid pooling on the ground. It caught flame quickly, the fire climbing into the bus. I watched the metal expand and explode, a fiery explosion ripping the bus apart. I felt the heat consume me, the fire ripping through the air. I felt the flames boiling the inside of the tunnel, cooking me with it.

I was running blind, protecting my eyes from the flames. The heat disappeared almost as fast as it came, leaving my jacket smoldering. I moved my arm, and the flames were gone. The sky was turning black, the stars showing. I looked down to see Rei running towards me.

"Oh my God, Kaito. Your jacket is on fire." She said, trying to pry the flaming jacket from my body. I took it off, and patted out the flames. I looked down at the girl, the flames reflecting in her eyes. I heard a snap from behind her, and I looked up to see a black figure flying towards me.

I skidded across the asphalt, grinding the back of my head into the road. I looked up, and saw myself staring back. It was a motorcycle helmet, the visor reflecting my face. I reached up and grabbed the side of the helmet, slamming it into the ground next to me. The infected rolled over, trying to get to its feet. I stood up, tossing the jacket on the ground. I was about to kick the Undead, when a cinderblock hit it in the stomach.

I looked up the street to see Rei picking up another cinderblock, and throwing at the infected. She hit it square on the helmet, crushing it. Blood oozed through the bottom of the helmet.

"Nice, Rei," I said to the panting girl as she walked back over to me.

"Well it had a helmet on, it's not like I could have just hit it in the head." She looked down, admiring her handiwork. I walked back over to my smoldering jacket, brushing embers off the back and shoulders. Reaching into the pocket, I pulled out a small stone pendant, a thin layer of ash smudging the face. I turned around to Rei, still looking at the teardrop.

"What's that?" She asked, trying to see what was in my hand. I showed it to her, and laughed.

"It was something I was planning on giving you after class today, but it's kinda Hell on earth for that," I said, putting the stone back in my pocket.

"Wait, let me see it," She said, snatching it from my hands. She put it over her head, it fitting almost perfectly around her neck. She giggled, and spun in a pirouette. "How do I look?"

"Besides being covered in blood and smoke," I teased. "You look beautiful."

"Why thank you, Kaito!" She laughed. I looked up on top of the tunnel, and there was an infected staring down at us.

"Rei, we need to go." I said, holding my hand out to her. She took it, and we walked up the hill in front of us. "We'll never make it to the city if we're walking."

"Well, that last one was wearing a helmet," She said, looking back down the hill. "Maybe he was riding a motorcycle?"

We reached the top of the hill, and there were no undead lurking around. I looked down the street, and saw a crashed motorcycle, just like Rei said. As I got closer to it, the more I recognized it. It was a Suzuki GS150R, something I had wanted for a long time so I could ride around the city.

"You do know how to ride this, right?" Rei asked, looking sketchily at the bike.

"Sure I do," I said, pulling the bike back onto its wheels. "It's like riding a bicycle. A huge, motorized bicycle." I put my jacket back on, so I didn't have to carry it. The bike was still on, so I gave the throttle a little gas to check. As the bike lurched forward, I squeezed the brake. The bike stopped on command, and I smiled. "Come on," I said, turning my hat backwards. "We've got somewhere to be."

Rei slowly got onto the bike, taking her time getting comfy. She wrapped her arm around me, and laid her head on my back, tucking her legs against mine. I pulled the throttle, and headed off down the dark freeway. The wind tossed my jacket around, the cold coastal air chilling me to the bone.

The ride was quiet, almost as if there wasn't a thing wrong in the world. Empty cars littered the road, a few undead here and there. I stopped on an overpass, looking out over the city. I thought Rei was sleeping, and she scared me when she shifted. The city was dead, as if the dark consumed everything and killed it.

_It's beautiful. Like the calm after a storms passing. _


	4. Chapter 4: Running in the Streets

The night was cold, hiding something from view at every turn. I knew they were out there, their eyes watching as we passed. Their eyes reflected the light, seeing to white dots among the black every so often. As the city grew closer, so did the amount of people, living and dead.

"Where are we, Kaito?" Rei asked me, stretching her legs.

"Well, we have about 80 kilometers left to go to get to Satoma," I said, slowing the bike. "But I don't think we can keep going on this road."

I squeezed both of the brakes, and the wheels dragged the bike to a stop. There were hundreds of cars, the headlights lighting up the entire road. People were screaming, infected running in-between cars, and there was no way through besides on foot.

"There's an off ramp just up ahead," Rei said, pointing over my shoulder. The sign clearly printed, 'Satoma Exit, 3 Kilometers.'

"Awesome," I said, turning the bike towards the shoulder of the road. Infected had started gathering around being attracted to the sound of the bike. "Rei, think you could take out the closer ones?"

I gunned the motorbike, and plowed through a small group of infected, blood splattering my face and the bike. The bike easily found traction on the bodies, vaulting the bike into the air, landing on the shoulder.

I jerked the handlebars, the bike cleanly slicing around the corner. The back wheel started burning out, screeching. I pulled the brake slightly to slow the wheel down, hoping to get traction. The wheel caught the road, and the bike launched down the road, lifting in a wheelie.

"Hell yea!" I yelled, the sound of the engine drowning me out. I was swerving all over the shoulder, trying not to hit anything that would send us flying off the bike. The exit was right ahead, and I gunned the throttle. I looked down the ramp farther, and it was nearly empty.

"Why isn't there anyone here?" Rei asked, peeking over my shoulder.

"I'm sure there are plenty of people here Rei," I said, seeing undead in the street. "But they might not be what you think."

The infected turned towards the sound of the motorcycle, but had almost no time to react. I flew past them so fast all I saw was the reflective white of their eyes. The streets were still lit, almost as if nothing had happened. I gunned the bike down the road, the wind almost flipping my hat off.

I slowed down at what I thought would be a main road, the lights almost blinding. I stopped at the intersection, the light flashing yellow. Looking down the road, there was almost nothing, not even infected. I turned right, the city on the horizon. I was about to gun the bike again, when the bike sputtered. I looked at the gauges, and the fuel gauge was on empty.

"Rei, you see any gas stations?" I asked, slowing the bike.

"Right there," She said, pointing ahead. I looked up, and sure enough there was a gas station.

"Well, looks like luck is on our side," I said laughing. I didn't hear if Rei laughed or not, the engine putting up major protest for having to still move on no gas.

I was about to pull the bike into the station, when it completely died. I caught the bike from falling, and turned around to Rei, a smile across my face. "Looks like we're walking the rest of the way."

She laughed, hopping off the bike. I jumped off too, walking the bike to the pump.

"Well that was fun," She said sarcastically, stretching her legs. "Too bad we can't do that every day."

"Yea, that was a real nice ride," I said as I parked the bike next to the pump. I cracked my back and looked at the machine. "Well, this is exactly as I was expecting."

"What's wrong?" Rei asked, leaning over the bike.

"I don't have any money on me," I said, rubbing charcoal off my hands.

"Well, why don't you have your wallet?" She said, sounding annoyed. "Didn't you think something like this would happen to you?"

"Yes Rei," I said, walking around the bike. "I've planned out being attacked by undead people since the day I knew how to write."

"Don't be a smartass and find some money," She said, poking my in the back with the butt of her spear.

"You're going to wait out here?" I asked, walking towards the gas stations building.

"I might as well," She said weakly. "If we lose this bike, we're done for."

The lights in the building were off, making it seem haunted. I tried to open the doors, but it was locked. I read the sign saying 'Open 25/7' and laughed. I planted my foot into the middle of the doors, and the lock broke cleanly. I walked over to the ATM, hoping to get some cheap money. It was built like a tank, me bashing on it doing nothing except pop the buttons out.

I decided to try the cash register, but I didn't get my hopes up. There was a light switch, and I flipped it. A fluorescent tube on the ceiling lit up. It was dim, but enough so I could see. The register was keypad locked, but a quick smash from a lamp the counter opened it right up. The drawer popped open, and I smiled to myself. I pulled out about seven thousand yen, probably more than I needed, but I wanted to be sure.

I tucked the money into my jacket, not thinking very much of it. I saw a pack of cigars lying on the counter, and I stuffed those and a lighter into my pocket as well. I turned the back off, trying not to attract attention from the infected.

I felt eyes on me, and I looked up. There was a shuffling, and a shadow disappeared behind a shelf. I turned around, trying to find something small to grab. I found a small newspaper rack, dumped the papers on the ground, and wielded the shiny wire rack.

I started walking around the counter towards the door, scared and breathing heavy. I saw the figure come out from behind the shelf and start walking towards me. I swung the rack, only to have it knocked out of my hand. Something hit me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I fell to the ground, and looked up to see a pair of greeneyes reflecting the little light in the room.

My eyes started adjusting to the dark, and I saw the glint of a knife swinging down at my chest. I swatted the knife away, and it clanged across the floor. I felt a foot stepping on my leg, and I swung my foot up, knocking the person over. There was a grunt, but not a deep undead moan. It was the grunt of a girl, but that meant nothing. I jumped up, and my eyes had adjusted enough to prove what I had thought. There was a slim figure, the hips a dead giveaway.

The girl jumped to her feet, running towards me. I lunged at the girl, wrapping my arms around her in a bear hug. She hit me on the back of my neck, weak but accurate strikes. I lifted her into the air, her boob going into my mouth only proving my thoughts. I threw her to the ground, and jumped for the knife. I grabbed it, felt a kick to my jaw. I rolled out of the way and brought the knife in front of my face.

I saw an arm flying at my face, and I grabbed it with my left arm, pulling the girl closer. I let her arm go and shot my hand straight, grabbing her neck. She whimpered, hitting my arm. I brought the knife to the side of her face, and she stopped almost immediately.

"What's your name?" I asked, pressing the knife into her skin. The blade reflected the light into her eyes, a beautiful emerald green.

"Let me go," She stuttered, catching her breath. "And I'll tell you." She was pulling at my hands, trying to break free. I turned her towards the door so I was in the darkness, instead of her. I let her go, and she fell to the floor, gasping for breath.

"What's your name?" I asked again, walking backwards into the darkness. "You don't look Japanese."

"It's Sabrina." The girl said, standing back up. "Now listen, we can't stay here now that you've brought that motorcycle. People here are a little . . . Crazy."

I heard Rei scream outside, and I pushed the girl out of the way. I yanked the door open and ran around the corner to see Rei standing in front of an enormous man, with a knife to her throat. I stopped, a shiver running down my spine. I looked down at the knife in my hand, and slipped it into my pocket.

"Don't fucking move! I've got no problem with having sex with a dead body!" The man screamed, pointing the knife at me. He was a large build, with wild eyes. He had braces and a sickening smile. He looked insane, and I just wanted to kill him.

"Kaito, do something!" Rei screamed, squirming under the man's grip.

"Shut the fuck up!" He yelled, putting the knife back to her throat. He was groping her, and she was squirming.

"What do you want?" I asked, taking a step forward. "We don't have anything of any real use."

"I said don't fucking move!" He pressed the knife into Rei's neck, and I stopped. "And I want your bike."

"It's out of gas, we just ran out," I said, looking back at the bike. "And I don't have any money for the machine."

"Bullshit! I just saw you come out of the gas station. I heard all the banging you were making." He said, swinging the knife to his side.

"I didn't get anything besides bruised knuckles," I said, looking past the hyperventilating man. It was a small, feminine figure, but moved too fast to be an infected.

"Hey, you know what? I got a better idea." The man said, laughing out loud. "I'll take the girl, and the bike. How does that sound?"

"You let her go!" I yelled, stepping closer. "Or I'll fucking kill you!"

"Get the fuck back!" He dropped the knife, and I started running. Rei had gotten free of him, and started running towards me. I pushed her past me, pulling the knife I stole from the girl out of my pocket. The man grabbed his knife from the ground, but he was too late. I had already started swinging my knife over my head, the weight of the straight edge making the blade fall faster.

The blade sliced right into his back, digging straight through the ribs and skin. The man shuttered, weakly moaning. He fell to the ground, shaking. I reached down, and yanked the knife out of his back, blood spraying into the air. He screamed, and I kicked him on his side with my foot. Blood was dripping from his mouth and nose.

"H-H-Hey . . . You can't l-leave me here," The man stuttered, spitting blood.

"I can leave you wherever I want now," I said, kicking the knife away from him.

"Don't! You don't know what it's like!" He screamed, slowing pulling himself away. I stomped on his foot, breaking it. He screamed again, dragging it out. "Please, help me or leave me alone!"

"I can kill you, or leave you here to die." I walked away, sticking the knife in my belt. Walking over to the gas pump, I pulled the yen from my pocket and stuck it in the machine. "Feel free to do what you want with him, Rei."

I drowned out the noise of the screaming man, Rei taking her time in torturing him. I unscrewed the metal cap to the gas can on the motorcycle, filling it with gas. _Geez, at one thirty seven yen for a liter of gasoline, this thing better get at least fifty kilometers a gallon. _

I put almost two thousand yen into the machine, filling the bike to the brim. I capped it off, looking back up at the gas station. The girl from inside the gas station was standing on the other side of the bike, staring at the bike. I stumbled backwards, pulling the knife out of my belt. She disappeared back into the shadows, and I walked to the middle of the gas station.

"Sabrina listen," I said, looking into the darkness trying to find the girl. "We can get out of here, we just need to work together."

"Who are you talking to, Kaito?" Rei asked, walking back over to me. I didn't even bother with the man, his whimpering was enough. I saw a shadow walking towards me, and I let the knife down, tightening my grip.

"Kaito, is it?" Sabrina asked, walking into the light. She was shorter than I thought she was, but she had a strong build, her legs most of her height. "We can work together, but I'm going to ask you one thing." She smiled weakly, her face turning red.

"And that would be what?" I asked, still clenching the knife.

"Do you think you could gas my moped up?" She laughed, rubbing the back of her head. She pointed to the side of the gas station, and a green chemlight showing the silhouette of a moped.

I stared at her, confused beyond words.

"Uhh . . . Sure, just bring it around." I said, looking back at Rei. Rei just shrugged, looking at the girl. I leaned against the motorcycle, twiddling the knife and laughing to myself.

"What's so funny?" Rei asked, walking in front of me.

"First this," I said, pointing at the now silent man I just stabbed. "And now this." Turning back to Sabrina, she had wheeled her moped next to the pump, and smiled.

I walked over to the pump, and looked at the knife in my hand. I flipped the knife, holding the blade. Handing it back to Sabrina, she took it, confused. I just nodded at her, and started gassing up the moped.

"So, Sabrina," I said, staring at the gas pump. "You aren't from Japan, are you?"

"My mother is Japanese, that's the only reason I'm here," Sabrina answered, her voice calm.

"You have the Fujimi High School uniform," I stated, looking at her. "How did you get this far out?"

"My moped, duh," Sabrina said, smiling weakly. "A bunch of kids knocked the gate open, and all of the zombies followed them out. So I took my moped, and left."

I cringed at the word zombie. I didn't feel it respectful enough for the undead, who were living at one point too. I didn't say anything about it though, letting it slide.

"Where are you two headed, anyways?" She asked, looking at Rei. Rei walked up behind me, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"We're going to Satoma City," Rei said. "And my name's Rei, Rei Miyamoto." She held her hand out to Sabrina, who reluctantly shook it.

"My names Sabrina, Sabrina Garnet Williams," Sabrina said. She seemed shy, looking away from Rei, back to me.

"Kaito Endo," I said, not offering my hand. I still didn't know if I could trust her.

"Well, I was headed to Satoma City too," Sabrina said, smiling. "Mind if I join you two?"

I looked at Rei, who was looking at me with the same face as Sabrina. I looked back at the moped, the gas stopped pumping. Putting the gas cap back on, I laughed.

"Of course you can," I said, looking at Sabrina's eyes, the emerald color making her seem so young.

She squealed a bit, covering her mouth with her hands. _Are all American girls like this? _She jumped on her moped, reaching to start it.

"Wait, not yet." I said, grabbing her hands. "We might as well grab some stuff since we're here, right?"

We walked back over to the gas station, Rei pointing out the crudely broken door. I opened it, and pushed her through it, holding it for Sabrina. The girls walked through the store, looking at various things. I walked behind the counter, looking for something useful. Papers, pens, rubber bands, wrappers, nothing worth taking. I was about to give up when I opened the top drawer, and almost dropped the cigar into the drawer.

"Kaito, check it out!" I heard Rei say, but I ignored her. I reached into the drawer, pulling out a small, steel revolver. **Model 637 **was printed on the side, and I recognized the Smith and Wesson logo.

"Kaito, did you hear me?" Rei said, jumping onto the counter. I looked up at her, and she was holding a hat that said 'can't touch this' printed across the front.

"I don't know if you're being sarcastic," I said, dropping the pistol back in the drawer. "But this hat stays." I reached up and held it on my head, having completely forgot about it.

"Well at least come get a new jacket." She said, throwing the hat at me.

"Hold on, Rei look at this," I said, whispering. I pulled the pistol out of the drawer and showed it to her.

"Well now you have something that packs a little more oomph than your feet," She said smiling, jumping off the counter. I tucked the pistol in my belt under my shirt, trying to hide it as best I could.

"Kaito, you'll look good in this one," Rei said, holding a jacket up. I walked around the counter, the cold steel sending shivers up my spine. Rei turned around, holding up a black jacket. I looked down at the jacket I was wearing, and looked back up clueless.

"What's wrong with this jacket?" I asked, looking at the jacket Rei had.

"Please, Kaito," Rei said, looking at the jacket with a mean look. "That thing looks like it went through a flaming lawnmower." I looked at the sleeves, and the scratches were almost through to my skin. The fabric was singed too, and it fell apart when I brushed it.

"I guess I could use another jacket," I said, taking off the singed jacket. I tossed it on the shelf, looking over it trying to see Sabrina. She was playing with chemlight, green and blue glowing brightly in the corner. I looked at the jacket Rei had, and grabbed it.

I was about to slip it on, when I heard a crash from outside. I dropped the jacket, and ran to the door. I looked out the window, and saw a girl picking my motorcycle up off the ground. I kicked the door open, pulling the gun from my belt.

"Get off the bike!" I screamed running towards the girl. She looked up at me, and started running. I ran to the edge of the light, watching the girl run into the city. I watched her as she was attacked by infected, and her screams echoed through the city. Infected started walked towards me, their moans filling my head.

_Dammit! _I walked back over to the building, tucking the pistol back into my belt. I walked over to Sabrina and tapped her on the shoulder. She looked at me, the green chemlight lighting up her eyes.

"I'm leaving now," I said, pointing outside. "Infected are gathering outside, and I want to go before it gets too hard to make it through them." I looked on the wall for a clock, and green letters flashed _05:26_.

"I'm still going with you right?" She asked, looking me up and down.

"I want you to come, but it's up to you," I said, walking over to Rei.

"What's this about leaving?" Rei asked, still holding the jacket she had picked out for me.

"I want to get going before the sun comes up," I said, looking at the jacket. "You hold onto that, it's a little cold outside."

I walked over to the door, waiting for Rei and Sabrina. _Why did that girl run off? It's not like I was going to kill her or anything. _The wood and metal of the gun rubbed against my back, making me shiver. I didn't like having the gun, it just didn't seem right. Not to mention, there were only six shots, making it worthless after the rounds were fired.

"Alright, let's go," I turned around and Rei was wearing the jacket, and Sabrina was holding what looked like the end of a mop with her knife tied on the end.

"Sabrina, you're following us all the way to Satoma City, right?" I whispered, slowly opening the door. I started sneaking past the infected, their faces blank and bloody.

"I guess I will, I -" I hushed her, hearing a roaring sound. It didn't sound like the infected, it seemed more mechanical. I looked up the road, and a pair of headlights was flying towards the gas station.

"Get on your bike," I said, pushing Sabrina towards her moped. I ran over to my motorcycle, and jumped on it. Rei was on it almost as fast as I was. I looked back at the headlights, and they started dancing across the road, the tires screeching.

I turned the key on the bike, and the engine sputtered to life, drinking the gasoline like water. I looked up and Sabrina had already started riding towards us, her headlight shining into my eyes. I pulled the throttle, turning the bike around. Looking up, it was almost like a dream.

The car slammed into the gas pump farthest from me, spilling gasoline all over the ground. The headlight smashed, sending sparks raining down into the fresh gasoline. I gunned the throttle, spinning the tires on the wet concrete. The bike caught grip, launching Rei and I out of the lot into the street.

I turned back to see a fireball engulf the car, flames licking at the gasoline on the ground. The car exploded, destroying the other gas pumps. Sabrina was right behind me, but we weren't out of the danger zone. The gas station erupted, sending flying chunks of metal flying through the air. Flames lit the night sky, illuminating the entire block. I turned back around, hoping not to run into anything.

_Second time almost dying in a fireball in less than twelve hours. Well I hope it's a record I don't have break. And Sabrina, I still don't know if I can trust her, but she seems like more help than trouble. She can handle her own, but it's better to have help and not need it than to need it and not have it._


	5. Chapter 5: Streets of the Dead

Rei was clenching me, making my stomach sore. I tried talking to her, but she never answered. Sabrina was always behind me, never riding close to my side. _Maybe she has the same thoughts. _The ride was slower than I hoped, the streets filled with empty cars and infected. The roads were smoother with more curves, keeping me awake instead of staring off into the distance.

The sun had risen, lighting the sky and the road. The warmth made everything feel almost normal, except the walking dead. Although it seemed the closer we got to the city, the less infected there were in the streets. It got to the point where I didn't see any infected anymore, only open road ahead.

The buildings started to clear up, opening the still orange sun to an open sky. The air grew cold and wet, and smelled salty. The road turned sharply to the right, opening to the deep blue river separating us from Satoma City. I started laughing as I stared out at the city, almost untouched by the chaos.

"Finally!" I screamed, raising my hand in the air. "We can finally get off this damn island!" I looked forward, and the bridge was gleaming in the sunrise. Gunning the motorcycle, I flew down the road letting the cold, wet air chill me to the bone.

"Kaito," I heard someone say, the voice hidden by the engine. I felt something pull my hat off, and I turned around to see Rei pointing behind us. I looked where she was pointing, and Sabrina had nearly turned into a glint down the road.

I pulled on the brakes, slowing the bike to a stop. I looked back at Sabrina, and started laughing. She pulled up next to me, her face red.

"What's wrong with you?" She stammered, trying not to look at me. "Did you just forget about me?"

"Actually," I said trying not to laugh in front of her. "I almost forgot about Rei." Rei answered by smacking my arm, and I grabbed her leg, surrendering. "Well let's keep going, the bridge is right up ahead."

I pulled the throttle, trying to get Sabrina to race me. She rolled her eyes, and pulled in front of me. Her moped looked fast, but was far from it. I set the brakes and pulled the throttle, letting the tires spin. When I let the brakes go, the wheels almost pulled the bike out from underneath me, and Rei reached around, noticing the pull too.

I caught up in no time, speeding around Sabrina. Everything felt normal, except for the fact I was racing a motorcycle down a usually busy road. _Man, this road is as curvy as a wet noodle. _I carved the motorcycle in and out of the turns, Rei hitting me several times for almost spilling her onto the road. The exit to Satoma City was ahead, and I made my way up the road.

There were no infected on the bridge, making me think everything in the city would be better. The second I made it into the city, the atmosphere changed. The air was thick, dust floating in the sunlight. It smelled like death, and blood was everywhere. I slowed the bike down, hoping nothing would hear the engine. It was dead silent, and when I cut the engine, the sound echoed for a decently long time. Sabrina stopped next to me, her tires screeching.

"What's wrong?" The two chimed together.

"We need to get rid of these," I said, pointing at the bikes, looking down the road.

"What do you mean?" Sabrina asked, sounding confused.

"Rei, get off the bike," I said, pushing her leg.

"Why?" She asked, fighting my push.

A bang rang out, followed by a loud ping. I saw a flash of sparks shoot up from Sabrina's moped, and then the two girls run for the alleys. I jumped off the bike after them, ducking behind abandoned cars. Another bang let out, and a windshield in front of me shattered. I made it into the alley, sitting behind a dumpster with the girls.

"How did you know someone was there?" Sabrina asked, panting.

"Didn't you see all the bodies?" I replied, peeking over the dumpster. "They were all facing away from that office building. And, the window was broken."

"What are you, some kind of psychic?" Sabrina said.

"I just pay attention," I said, standing up. "Only two shots, neither of you got hit right?"

They just shook their heads no, staring up at me. I help my hand out to Rei, helping her to her feet. I did the same to Sabrina, but she ignored the gesture.

"Kaito, how are we going to get to the police station now?" Rei asked, looking back down the alley. "I don't even know where we are."

"I think we're near the Nokamoru District. The library is right over there." I said, walking back over to the street. "I'll be right back, girls."

"Where are you going?" Rei said frantically.

"I'm going to see if our friend from above is any good a shot." I said, crouching behind a car.

I poked my head through the window, trying to find where my sniper friend was. I was right about being in the Nokamoru District, the name printed on banners hanging from light posts. I looked up at the broken window I saw from the motorcycle. There was nothing, but I kept looking. I walked farther down the line of cars, looking constantly at the broken window.

I was about to stand back up when I heard the crack again. The window I was looking through exploded, sending glass flying into my face. I fell over, trying to army crawl back to the alley, trying not to cut myself on the glass. The gunshots were quicker this time, the glass on the cars exploding around me.

I managed to get to my feet and started running towards the alley, holding my hands in front of my face . I heard another crack, different from the first. It was faster, sounding like an automatic weapon. Everything slowed down, my heart pumping the adrenaline through my veins. Metal was showering with sparks, and windows were exploding. I looked back up to the window, and saw flashes from inside. _Dammit! _

I looked back at the alley, Rei standing in the shadows holding her hands to her mouth. I felt the bullets flying past me, whipping my shirt from the speed. I ran past Rei, grabbing onto the dumpster to stop myself. The adrenaline was pumping so thin through my veins. Everything seemed slow, but I could still react and move like normal. Everything sounded like I was in a pool, but I could hear everything from the wind blowing the chain link fence behind me to the blood pumping through my veins

I turned and saw Rei running towards me. When she grabbed my arm, the surreal feeling disappeared, leaving me cold and weak.

"Why did you do that, Kaito?" Rei said, brushing glass out of my hair. "What if you got shot?"

"Where'd my hat go?" I said, patting my head noticing it was gone.

"Did you not feel it fly off your head?" Rei said, pointing back into the street.

"Dammit," I moaned, falling backwards. "I loved that hat."

"What's so important about that hat anyways?" Sabrina asked, looking down at me. "It's just a hat."

I stood back up, shaking the glass out of my hair.

"Let's go," I said, walking farther into the alley.

"Where are you going?" Rei asked, grabbing my shirt.

"We still have half to city to get through," I said. "Might as well start walking now."

We walked for hours, stopping for food and water every now and then. The rest of the city was no different. People going crazy, infected running in the streets, and everything else in the apocalypse package. The sun had risen fully, cooking dead bodies and blood. The smell was thick, and it stung the brain.

"Kaito, do you even know where the Hell we are?" Rei asked, as we were passing over a bridge.

"We're in the East Sagamuri District," I said, still walking. "The police station is just up ahead."

"Can we please stop for a rest?" Rei begged, grabbing my shirt. "My legs hurt."

"We only have about fifteen more . . ."

"Please?" She begged again. This time, she didn't wait for an answer, instead just sitting on the concrete handrail.

"Fine . . ." I moaned. _We could find an actually safe place, instead of on this bridge._

There was a slight rumbling in the distance. It sounded like an airplane, but nothing had flown over the city the entire night. I looked up, scanning the sky. Just as I thought, a black figure streaked across the sky, flying low to the bridge.

"What's that plane doing here?" Sabrina asked, staring at the plane.

"It's military," I said, waving as the plane flew past. "It's probably not here to help though."

_I just hope we can help ourselves first. _


	6. Chapter 6: In the Dead of the Night Pt1

After the plane passed, everything was quiet again. I tried to see where it was going, but the buildings cut my line of sight. _Well shit. _I looked back down the road, and a few infected had started walking towards us. There was a crowbar hanging on the railing, and I picked it up.

"Hey check it out, I'm Gordon Freeman!" I said, swinging the crowbar randomly in the air.

"Who?" Sabrina asked. I leered at her.

"Don't kill my happy moment," I said, pointing the crowbar at her.

"Watch out behind you, 'Freeman.'" Sabrina teased, pointing behind me.

I turned around, and an infected knocked the crowbar from my hands. It skittered across the asphalt, clanging loudly. The other infected started walking towards the sound, so I didn't have to worry much. The infected grabbed my shirt, yanking me closer to it.

_Fucker! _I pointed my fingers, and jammed it into its chin. The skin tore easily, and I felt its tongue squirming in its mouth. _Gross. _I curled my fingers, gripping the jaw. The teeth were clamping down, and the pain was excruciating. I pulled down as hard as I could, trying to break the jaw.

I felt the jaw pop, and the creature screamed, pulling on my shirt. I pulled down again, and the skin tore free from the face, spraying blood up my arm. I fell from the momentum, and looked at the jaw in my hand. The bone was a dark grey color, not looking anything like I thought it would.

I looked back up, and Sabrina had buried her knife in the creature's eye, twisting it deeper into its skull. Blood was spilling from its head, staining the ground around me crimson red. I stood up, tossing the jaw over the side of the bridge. The infected had started gathering around us, closing in slowly. I saw the crowbar, and made a run for it. Pushing the infected out of the way was no problem, their coordination pathetic.

I bent down and picked up the crowbar, imagining myself with a goatee and glasses. I spun around, swinging the prybar over my head. It connected with the stomach of an infected, slicing neatly through the soft flesh. Its intestines caught on the edge, my full rotation swing ripping them out. Blood sprayed into the air, a red mist glittering in the sun.

I twisted the crowbar, letting the intestines fling off the end. The infected kept walking, its eyes shining in the sunlight. I raised the steel bar above my head and brought it down over the demons skull. The hook buried itself in the skull, blood squirting from the puncture. Falling to its knees, the infected was dead, its vocalizations stopped. I put my foot on its shoulder, and pulled down on the crowbar. The crowbar broke straight through the bone, ripping a line into the skull.

I clubbed another infected, blood plastering my face. Rei and Sabrina were fighting too, but less aggressive. _Probably from not getting any sleep. _I turned around, swinging the crowbar low. I hooked the ankle of an infected, tripping it. Unhooking the bar, I curved it around and slammed it into the creatures head, crushing it. The blood followed the bar and up my arm, covering my arm with the red paint.

"Woo!" I hollered out, shaking blood from my arms. "Well that was a little something, wasn't it?"

Rei and Sabrina had already gotten the blood off their hands, standing next to the concrete railings.

"You enjoy this too much," Sabrina said, untying her knife from the end of the pole. "So who exactly was this 'Gordon Freeman' guy anyway?"

"Only the greatest motherfucker to wield a crowbar ever," I said, wiping the bar on one of the corpses shirt. "Only he fought aliens, not dead people." I tucked the crowbar in my belt, letting it hang loosly.

"You mean the zombies?" Sabrina asked sarcastically.

"And you think I don't have a life," I muttered. I walked back over to Rei, who hadn't said much since we left the gas station. "You okay, Rei?"

"Yea, I'm just worried about Takashi and the others," She said, looking across the bridge.

I found myself getting slightly jealous. _What's wrong with you, Kaito? It's the middle of the second day or more of an apocalypse, and you're already trying to pick up the girl? Nice._

"I'm sure they're fine," I said, looking over the railing. "Takashi can handle himself."

"I don't think so," Rei said, turning towards me. "There's something different about him. He's acting less careless than usual. Like in the lobby at the school . . ."

"Rei, calm down," I said, interrupting her. "We're going to find them, don't worry."

"Kaito," Sabrina called out. "Didn't you say the police station was over here somewhere?"

"Yea, it's down the road a ways." I said, starting to walk up the road.

The other side of the bridge seemed calmer, not as many infected crowding in the road. There was an old market that we walked through, and it seemed almost untouched from the surrounding chaos. The watermelons were laying neatly in their baskets, glimmering in the sunlight. I grabbed an apple, rubbing it on my shirt. It tasted sweet, almost sugary. Only the smell and sounds were here. The air was always thick with the smell of blood, but it seemed thinner here.

The view from where I was standing was extremely beautiful. To the right, there was an old cobblestone walkway hung over the market plaza, vines growing in-between the bricks. To the left, a long brick pier stretched into the ocean. Rei seemed happier too, as if the peace of the market calmed her nerves. She was still wearing the jacket she picked up at the gas station. _Why is she still wearing that? It's at least a thousand degrees out here. _I thought nothing of it, and kept walking through the market.

There was a loud rocket sounding noise, followed by an ear splitting boom, the shockwave whipping my clothes. There was a high pitched ringing in my ears, disorienting my balance. I fell back onto one of the stands, knocking oranges and bananas to the ground. I looked up at the walkway, a giant cloud of dust and dirt flying out of one of the support walls. I didn't even have enough time to grab a breath, the cloud engulfing the market.

It was impossible to see, the thick dust blocking out light and making it hard to breath. I cupped my hand around my mouth, trying to breathe through the thick air. The ringing in my ear lightened, the sound of brick falling filled my head. A gust of wind blew past me, whipping my hair out of my face. The sounds of destruction stopped, the air filled only with a sickening laugh.

The laugh was different, accented to it, slurred. His laughing grew louder, closer. I reached desperately for the revolver in my belt, still holding my hand over my mouth. Raising the pistol, the lack of light made the cold steel look almost black. The cloud of dust started clearing, the bridge completely destroyed. There was a gaping hole in the side of the support wall, fire spreading across the ground.

"You know you like," The voice said, the accent obviously Russian.

I knelt behind the table, looking behind me for Rei and Sabrina. Rei was walking towards me, stumbling. Sabrina was on her knees, coughing. I looked back over the table, and saw a large man standing on the pile of rubble, smiling. He was covered in blood, his brown clothing stained crimson. His eyes connected with mine, and his smile quickly faded from his face.

"Ej!" He screamed, turning around and waving his arm. "You three, you are still living, yes?" He started running down the rubble, pulling a pistol from his pocket.

"What the fuck was that?" I asked, pointing at the collapsed bridge. The man turned around, still running.

"That? Well, that was rocket," He said, laughing lightly. "I was testing."

I stood up, trying to hide the pistol behind my back. The Russian noticed, and walked a bit slower.

"You have gun?" He asked, changing his grip on his pistol.

"I do, but I really don't want to use it," I said, holding it in front of me.

The Russian stopped, looking behind me. He pointed, yelling something in Russian, and running back up the hill. I turned around to see what he was pointing at, not expecting to see anything. There was a glint of light, floating through the air. The air sounded buffered, like something was slicing it. As the glint got closer, the more I recognized what it was. An American fighter helicopter, an Apache. _Why is there an American helicopter in the middle of Japan?_

"If you three like living, get up here now!" The Russian screamed, calling to us from the hill of rubble. The helicopter tilted back, slowing down. It kicked dust across the ground, whipping my hair around.

I was dumbstruck, the massive helicopter less than twenty feet away. I could see the pilot, who was shielded behind a helmet. The Apache angled back down, pointing towards me. Rei and Sabrina had already run past me, to the Russian. I looked at the nose of the chopper, a giant three barreled gun slowly rotating. I heard a click, and the end of the barrel exploded, sending a giant mass of hot lead flying past my head.

The round was explosive, the shockwave knocking me off balance. Another shot flew past me, barely grazing my shirt. _Why am I standing here? _I ran in a horseshoe around the market, cobblestone and wood exploding around me. I put my arms above my head, trying to keep the shrapnel out of my eyes. I heard the rocket noise again, thinking it was from the helicopter. _At least it's pretty enough to die here. _

I heard an explosion from behind me, followed by another explosion. I tripped on a piece of wood, falling on my face. My nose struck hard, the break searing with pain. I rolled onto my back, looking up at the helicopter. It had gone into a death spin, smoke spewing from the tail. It flipped backwards, crashing into the pier. The Apache snapped at the halfway point, the blades digging into the cobblestone, breaking into millions of pieces. The cockpit slammed into the pier, a giant fireball engulfing the two men inside.

The cabin exploded, sending smoking metal flying into the air. A black piece of the blades flew towards me, hitting the ground in front of me. It bounced to the right of my head, hitting the side of my face. The force knocked me over, my entire head throbbing. I laid on the ground, dirt and metal falling around me. I felt my blood streaming down my face, slowly pooling around my body.

I saw an airplane flying overhead, and started laughing to myself. I rolled onto my knees, standing up slowly. The Russian was standing on the hill with Sabrina, two other boys behind them. Rei was running down the hill, trying not to trip. I started walking towards her, my head throbbing painfully. Rei grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the others.

"Jesus, Kaito," She said, looking at my head. "I don't even know what to say to you anymore."

"I'm happy to be alive too, Rei," I said, limping heavily on my right foot.

"You aren't smart," I heard the Russian call out, holding an RPG tube over his shoulder. "You lucky to be alive."

Rei pulled me to the top of the hill of rubble, standing in front of the Russian. He looked at me with a calm face, and then smiled. He patted me on the shoulder, pulling me to his side.

"You may act stupid," He said, pulling me towards a truck. It was a massive truck, like a deuce-and-a-half from World War Two. "But you have heart."

Blackout.

_Probably from the blood loss, Kaito. Don't go blaming yourself, now. _


	7. Chapter 6: In the Dead of the Night Pt2

The throbbing in my head woke me, the pain excruciating. I raised my hand to the right side of my head, rubbing the side of my head. _What is this? Bandages? _I opened my eyes, being blinded by light. Rubbing my eyes, my eyes quickly adjusted. I looked around the room, a small kitchen with a fluorescent tubes above for lights. I was laying on a blanket on the floor, my shirt missing. The door in front of me opened, a feminine figure walking through.

"Oh, Kaito you're awake," The woman said, and I recognized her voice as Shizuka Marikawa. "How does your head feel?"

"Miss Shizuka," I said, stupefied. I sat up slowly, the muscle in my back sore. "Where am I? Where's Rei?"

"That's nice to know you're worried about me, Kaito." Another voice said. I looked around Shizuka, and saw Sabrina walking through the door behind her.

I slowly got to my feet, hunching slightly from the pain in my back. _So my shirt and my shoes are gone. What exactly happened? _Shizuka and Sabrina were staring at me, as if I was a different person without my shirt. I looked down at my stomach, wondering what was so interesting. _It's not like I'm photo shopped or something. _

"Uhh . . . Either of you know where my shirt went?" I asked awkwardly, trying to find something else to look at.

Sabrina walked past, and I felt her eyes on me as she walked. Shizuka walked closer to me, her face getting red. _Umm . . . What? _

"Make yourself at home," She said, rubbing her hand across my stomach as she walked past me. _What?_

I leaned down and picked up the blanket off the floor, tossing it over my shoulders. There was laughing from upstairs, but the gigantic window overlooking the city caught my attention. I limped over to it, dropping the blanket on a couch. The view was impressive, but I was still confused on where I was, and how I got there.

"Kaito! Get up here!" A voice said, striking me as Rei.

I quickly turned around to the stairs, limping heavily on my right leg. I slowly walked up the stairs, the pain getting stronger with each step. I tripped on the last step, slamming heavily into the floor.

"Jesus Kaito, how much noise can you make?" Rei said, walking in front of me. She was barefoot, and looking up towards her face, the less clothes she was wearing. She had a towel wrapped around her hips, but nothing covering her chest. I felt my face turn red. _Oh . . . My . . . God._

"Uhh . . . Hi Rei . . . " I said weakly, trying not to stare at her chest.

"You took too long," She said, turning around and walking away. "Now you have to wait while I'm finished cleaning."

She disappeared behind a door, which I figured was the bathroom; steam was spilling out when she opened the door. I slowly got to my feet, adjusting my pants. _Well, that was a wakeup call. _I walked around, looking at the other doors. One of them was a simple closet, but there were cases of various sizes stacked in the corner. I reached down and grabbed one of them, the plastic casing and metal locks pleasing my thoughts. There was a combination lock on it, and no code. Disappointed, I slid the box back into the closet.

I heard a footstep from behind me, and quickly jumped to my feet, trying to take a stance. But the pain in my right leg proved too great, and I collapsed to the floor. There was a quiet laugh, a pair of lenses glaring down at me.

"Hey Kaito! How's life treating you?"

"Hirano?" I said, smiling to see my friend. I reached my arm up, and he grabbed it, pulling me to my feet. "Hey, before we talk about anything unrelated, can you explain to me how I got here?"

"Go talk to Takashi. He's the one who found you guys." Hirano said, walking past me down the stairs. "He's just in the other room!"

I turned around, and saw an open door, light spilling into the darkness. I poked my head into the room, looking for Takashi. He was standing out on a balcony, looking out over the city. I walked into the room, looking at a giant combination safe next to the bed. Takashi turned around, smiling when he saw me.

"It's nice to see you're still moving," Takashi said, turning back to the city. He held a pair of binoculars to his face, obviously focused.

"Hirano told me to talk to you on how I got here," I said, sliding the door to the closet open. It was filled with woman's clothes, and only woman's clothes. _Shit._

"What do you mean? Nobody told you?" He asked, not turning around.

"All I remember is that helicopter, the Russian, and waking up downstairs on the floor," I replied, pulling a black v-neck out of the closet. Slipping it on, it was a bit loose at the chest. _Damn, with this much stretch._

"Oh right, the Russian," Takashi said quietly, walking back into the room. "Well, he saved us."

"What do you mean?" I asked, taking the door off its hinges. The closet was filled with clothes, but I was after the black case behind them.

"We got stuck on a bridge, and this huge truck came crashing through a blockade," Takashi said, making motions with his hands. "This huge drunk fuck stepped out, and started shooting. And there was this other kid with a flamethrower thing draped over his back."

"A flamethrower?" I asked jokingly, dragging the box out onto the floor. "Nothing like the smell of torched corpse in the morning, eh?"

"What are you digging for in there?" Hirano asked, laughing. "You get your jimmies playing with woman's clothes?" He had a crowbar in his hand, and I quickly reached down to my belt, looking for mine.

"That's my crowbar," I said, holding my hand out.

"Yea well I had to wash all the blood off," Hirano replied, clenching the iron bar to his chest. "Besides," He added. "We have to get that gun safe open."

I looked over, and Takashi was poking at the number pad, it angrily beeping back at him. He punched it, and it made a loud alarm noise, as if to say "Fuck you."

"Make it quick," I said, turning back to the box. "For all I know, there could be a machinegun in here."

Hirano and Takashi started working with the safe, making enough noise to wake the actual dead. I went back out into the hall, grabbing the black case from the closet out there. I laid it on the floor next to the other.

"No way!" Hirano yelled, pulling a gun from the case. "A Springfield M1A1 Super Match!"

"Toss me that crowbar Hirano," I said, hoping he would toss it to me. Instead, he threw it at me, putting a dent in the wall after I blocked it. "Thanks."

I wedged the bar into the metal lock, pressing my weight into it. The lock busted in half, popping the lid open neatly. Laying the crowbar on the ground, I looked down at the huge, bolt action rifle laying neatly in its case. _Remington? This is a hunting rifle, _I thought, lifting it out of the box. _Hirano said a Springfield. That's military._

Laying the gun back into the box, I pulled the small box closer to me. Busting the lock, a silver side-by-side, sawn off shotgun was laying inside. I set it aside, not being a very big fan of shotguns. I looked back at the Remington, confused on why someone with high powered military rifles would have a Remington hunting rifle. It wasn't wood like most small caliber rifles are, but a light, black plastic.

"What did you manage to find, Kaito?" Hirano asked, holding an AR-15. "Anything worth taking?"

"Hirano, you know about guns. Can you tell me about this?" I asked, holding the gun up to him.

"Hmm . . . " He took it, played with it for a bit, and handed it back to me. "Its firing pin is missing. It's useless unless you can find it."

"It's not really worth it, don't you think?" I asked, laying the gun back in its box. "A bolt action rifle. A rifle in general, really."

"It's custom chambered, so I don't think you'd find much ammo for it," Hirano said, looking at the other box. "But hey! At least you found a shotgun!"

"I'm not really a fan of shotguns," I said, sliding the case back into the closet. "Here's a question. Where are we exactly?"

"Miss Shizuka's friend lives here," Takashi said, holding a shotgun. "But she's either military, or in something she shouldn't be."

"Especially with these guns," Hirano said, sitting on the bed looking at the guns him and Takashi scavenged. "Most of these are illegal in Japan. Especially if you set them up like this."

A loud, high-pitched scream rang out from outside. I ran over to the balcony with Takashi, staring down at the road beneath me. _You know, I still don't know where I am. _Takashi had the binoculars, looking down the road at a streetlight.

"There!" He screamed, pointing at the light. He handed me the binoculars, almost dropping them off the side of the balcony.

Looking through the lenses, there was a young girl standing over a body, crying. She was in a courtyard in front of a house, but infected were pushing against the gate. Takashi ran down the stairs, grabbing his bat. I tossed the binoculars to Hirano, looking down at the shotgun.

"I haven't found shotgun shells yet," Hirano said, tossing me a rifle. I didn't see it on the floor before, next to the other guns. "It's an M14, an Vietnam era American rifle. There's twenty rounds in the mag, so don't just shoot randomly." He tossed me another box magazine, and I slid it into my back pocket.

I bent down and grabbed the crowbar, feeling the power of the Free Man run through my blood. Pulling the action back, the seven sixty-two round click into place.

_Smart thinking Kaito. About to run after a little girl that you aren't sure isn't bitten, without shoes. Just hope there isn't any glass. _


	8. Chapter 7: Dead Night and the Dead Ruck

_It's 2:30 in the morning, I've got no shoes, a high-powered rifle, and a bunch of undead. Let's roll. _

I unlatched the huge gate, and knelt down. Footsteps ran up behind me, and pressed into my back. I heaved my body up, launching Takashi into the air over the undead horde. He swung his bat down, clubbing left and right. Swinging my M14 around from my back, I switched the fire selector to 'automatic.' I raised it to my shoulder, and squeezed the trigger.

Round after round catapulted out of the gun, the shockwaves blowing the loose V-neck around like a rag. The heads on the infected were splitting like watermelons, blood spraying into the air. _These are beautifully open sights. _Hirano was above me, helping Takashi and the little girl with suppression fire. I walked lightly, trying not to cut my feet on anything that might be hidden in the dark. I pulled the gate closed with my foot, letting it lock like a prison door.

The infected were flocking towards me, leaving Takashi plenty of room to cleanly make it to the little girl. I stopped when I reached the edge of the sidewalk, and stopped firing. There were still rounds in the magazine, but the mass of infected gathering around me had me scared. I looked up at Hirano, and shouted at him.

"Hirano! Toss 'em down!"

I saw red hair leaning over the railing, and the cloth wrap falling down to me.

"I'll never let you live it down if you get bitten," I heard Rei's voice yell, the echo repeating several times.

I laughed to myself, unwrapping the huge cloth bundle. I had started walking backwards to put room between myself and the mass of undead bodies getting closer to me. Dropping the cloth to the ground, I wielded the black machetes. _It's amazing how much stuff you find on your way out of a building. _I let the M14 fall behind my back, tightening the sling so it was tight against my body.

One of the infected lunged at me, and I slapped it away with the side of the machete. Walking towards the horde, I swung over my head, bringing the blade heavily down on the skull of an undead woman. The blade stuck in her head, almost like glue. Placing my foot on her chest, I shoved her body to the ground, letting the blood stain the blade.

I swung heavily at each of the infected, landing blow that severed limbs, sliced off various parts of the skulls, and drenched the ground around me in the crimson liquid. The blood was misting too, making the air heavy and hard to breath. I felt the blood splattering up my arms, adding another layer of red sleeves as I walked through the streets.

Left and right, death around me, the rhythm of gunfire raining down from above. It felt like seconds were minutes, the blood pumping heavily through my body. My vision started tunneling, the amount of detail I could see in the dark incredible. The adrenaline was thick in my veins, making my senses heightened beyond what felt humanly possible.

There was a loud roaring noise, light spilling across the ground from behind me. I turned around, my machete stuck in the neck of a screaming undead. A massive roar exploded through the gate, grinding the completely dead corpses into the ground. Turning back around, I yanked the blade from the undead, kicking it to the ground. The lights came ever closer, and I jumped to the side, knocking to an infected to its back.

The massive roaring mass stopped next to me, and not being blinded by the light, I could see it was am American transport truck, a Humvee. I looked on top, and saw tall, slimming legs standing on top.

"You just going to stand there and stare, Kaito?" Saeko said, kneeling down.

I slid the machetes in my belt, and climbed on top of the Humvee. Saeko was near nude, wearing only an apron and panties.

"I bet that feels nice this time of day," I said, trying not to stare.

Trying to make myself look busy, I pulled the two machetes out of my belt. Leaning into the roof port, I came face to face with Rei, who was wearing almost less than Saeko. I handed the blades down to her, blood dripping off freely.

"Jesus Kaito," Takagi said in a disgusted voice. "You think any of us want that in here?"

"Sorry Takagi," I said, letting Rei take them from me. "But I didn't have any time to clean up. Unlike all of you."

Rei kissed my forehead, giggling quietly.

"You know, it would be a lot easier to kiss you if you weren't always covered in blood," Rei said, wiping blood off of my lips.

I was about to answer her, when Shizuka put the pedal to the metal, the tires screeching the truck forward. I almost fell into the Humvee, but caught myself with my forehead. Leaning back out, I rubbed the pain away. Saeko was still standing on the roof, as if nothing in the world could touch her. _I really hope she knows that if we crash, she's as good as gone. _

Shizuka was having trouble with driving the massive truck, probably because the steering wheel was on the left instead of the right. Hirano was telling her how to drive it, but to no avail. I sat with my legs folded to the right of the roof port, holding my M14 in my lap. The infected were all walking towards the truck, becoming road fertilizer in no time flat.

"So Saeko, how exactly did I catch up with you five again?" I asked, reloading my rifle.

"Victor found us on a bridge, with Rei and Sabrina." She said, sitting down next to me. "You were out like a light."

"Victor? Who's that?"

"The Russian I think I heard you call him?"

"Oh. Well, where did he go? Why did he just leave?"

"He went across the bridge into the city. He told us to meet him at Sumijama Field."

I breathed in, but was interrupted when Shizuka once again jerked the Humvee, but this time to a stop. Hirano popped up out of the roof port, raising the Ithaca shotgun to his shoulder. He pulled the trigger, and muzzle flare filled the night air. Several infected fell, blood splattering across the front end of the truck.

Several disgusted moans came from inside the Humvee, protesting to the blood splatter. I raised my rifle to my shoulder, switching the fire selector back to 'single.' Pulling the trigger, the rounds volleyed into the crowd, dropping infected one by one. The gun became an extension of my arms, reminding me of the war games I used to play with Takashi and Rei as kids. _Only this time, it's for real._

I felt the Humvee lean to the left, something weighing it down. I turned my head, and saw Takashi and the little girl climbing into the truck. Saeko jumped in as well leaving me on top of the truck alone. _How in the world do eight people fit into this small of a truck?_ I slung my rifle onto my back again, and grabbed the only handhold I could find on the massive vehicle.

Shizuka floored the Humvee, the huge V-8 engine roaring to life. I lurched back, almost losing my grip. _Damn, she isn't very good at driving. _

"So Kaito," Shizuka called to me. "Have I hit enough of Them for you yet?"

"Just drive!" I said, clenching onto the tiny metal bar as blood and bodies pummeled me.

Shizuka nearly spun out on a turn, sending me flopping around on top of the Humvee. I stopped focusing on where exactly where we were going, and more on how much I needed to hold on. Every turn had less infected, covering me in less blood as time went by. _This is going to get nasty quick if I don't get to a shower soon. _

I clutched the metal bar until the truck stopped shuttering every second. Slowly letting go, I managed to get back into the cross-legged position I was in before. I wiped the blood off my forehead, completely covering my hand in red. I pulled the V-neck off, the night air stinging my chest. Wiping the blood off my face and arms, the shirt was dripping blood by the time I had gotten most of the blood off. Patting the gauze on my head, the cut beneath was sore and still bleeding.

"So Kaito," Rei said, poking up through the roof port. "Oh I'm sorry. I didn't realize I had to be naked to be out here."

"Very funny, Rei," I mocked, tying the shirt to a small metal loop.

"Anyways, like I was saying," She said, climbing on top of the Humvee. "You're pretty stupid for going out without any shoes."

I looked down at my feet, which were also soaked in blood.

"It isn't too bad," I said. "Red makes my feet look good."

"You need to stop passing out," She said, her voice serious. "You almost got bitten when we were with Victor."

"Well I guess I'm in his debt. Or yours, whoever helped me."

She didn't answer me. Instead, when I looked over at her, she kissed me. Not just a little peck on the lips, either. It was a real kiss, the kind you would only give to someone you loved. She pulled away quickly, wiping a bit of blood from her lips.

"Stop trying to get yourself killed," She said, climbing back into the Humvee. "If not for you, for me."

I couldn't think of something to say, I just looked at her. She smiled and disappeared back inside, leaving me alone once again. I looked into the sky, watching the stars.

_The third day of a society ending apocalypse, and I just got the girl. Yes! . . . At least, I think I have her._

It felt like only minutes had passed, but when the stars started disappearing and light began taking over, I realized I had been hours. The air was still cold though, clouds blocking out most of the sunlight. I peered into the roof port, and everyone except Shizuka and Takagi were asleep. _Wait a minute, is that a dog? _There was a small, white dog lying cradled in the little girl's arms.

_And what the Hell smells like piss?_


	9. Final

I'm sorry to say this guys but I've completely exhausted the fan fiction of High School Of The Dead. I'm not going to be continuing this story, but I will continue writing on under the penname of "Zomneh." Sorry if there is any major inconvience.


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